This invention relates to a direct injected internal combustion engine, and more particularly to an engine having direct cylinder injection and spark ignition.
In order to attempt to improve the efficiency of internal combustion engines, fuel injection has been proposed. Although manifold injection has a number of advantages, it is difficult to ensure the desired fuel stratification in order to permit lean burn operation as may be desirable to improve fuel economy and exhaust emission control. However, if direct cylinder injection is employed and the spark plug or spark plugs for the engine are also mounted in the cylinder head, then the placement of the various components becomes a problem. These problems are complicated or compounded when the engine is of the multi-valve type.
It is, therefore, a principal object of this invention to provide an improved engine construction having spark ignition and direct fuel injection.
When the fuel injector injects directly into the combustion chamber and is mounted in the cylinder head along with the spark plug, it is difficult to position the components so that good flame propagation can occur and also to ensure that a stoichiometric charge is present at the spark gap at the time of firing. In addition, the servicing of the components becomes a problem.
Therefore, it is a still further object of this invention to provide an improved direct injected, spark-ignited engine.